Brit woman recalls miraculous escape from doomed Madrid plane

International

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Published: Monday, August 25, 2008, 17:30 [IST]

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London, Aug 25 : A Brit woman miraculously survived the Madrid air disaster after her seat was thrown clear of the crashed jet and landed in a stream. Kim Tate Perez was saved from the inferno that engulfed the wreckage within seconds and escaped with minor injuries that left her looking like she had only fallen off a bike, according to her family.

The 30-year-old is one of only 18 people, including three children, to have survived when Spanair flight JK5022 plummeted to the ground during take-off, claiming the lives of 154 others.

Details of Tate's extraordinary survival emerged through relatives visiting her at La Princesa hospital in Madrid where she is being treated for a broken arm and punctured lung.

Doctors now hope to reduce her medication and slowly bring her round.

"It's truly a miracle that my little sister survived," the Mirror quoted her brother, as saying.

"She was sat in Row 6, right at the point where the plane broke in two and that's what saved her life.

"She was thrown out of the gap where the plane ripped apart and landed in a stream. Because she landed in water she has none of the terrible burns most of the other survivors had.

"We cannot believe how lucky she is to be alive. Amazingly, she looks like she could have just survived a really bad bicycle crash," he added.